Pacific Reproductive Center’s consistently high IVF pregnancy rates are the product of an integrated medical and laboratory team approach. Meet the team.
Rifaat D. Salem, MD PhD
Medical Director & Chairman
A graduate of University of Southern California Medical School, Dr. Salem earned a doctorate in Neuroendocrinology from University of California, Los Angeles. He held two National Institute of Health Fellowships in Neuroendocrinology and performed breakthrough research which helped establish the mechanism of certain steroid hormones. Dr. Salem has published numerous scientific research articles in the leading national and international fertility journals. This research has been instrumental in advancing the understanding and treatment of infertility.
Dr. Salem acquired his extensive clinical experience in infertility and microsurgery at institutions such as the University of British Columbia, Stanford, The Microsurgical Institute of San Francisco, and Pacific Fertility Center of San Francisco. He was also medical director and one of the founders of Pacific Fertility Center Torrance for six years. He has Master’s Degrees in both Biochemistry and Physiology. He is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
E. Scott Sills, MD FACOG FACS
Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Dr. Sills comes to PRC from the Sims Institute in Dublin, Ireland, one of Europe’s largest and most successful IVF clinics. While actively seeing patients, Dr. Sills also served as director of Sims’ research program which generated more projects in reproductive endocrinology than conducted at all five Irish medical schools combined. He has published more than 100 scholarly papers and his research has been presented at conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, India, North and South America, and the Middle East.
Dr. Sills is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Following sub-specialty training in reproductive endocrinology at Cornell University, he became the first full-time REI physician in Dutchess County, New York, where he established a new initiative among Arab, Israeli and Persian fertility experts. The resulting paper summarized fertility services throughout the Middle East, and was published in London’s Journal of Experimental & Clinical Assisted Reproduction.
Married to a native Californian and the father of four, Dr. Sills says that his professional experiences outside the United States have given him new appreciation for the advantages of advanced American technology.
“Infertility can be the result of many factors cascading into each other. It’s always important to understand the limits of technology,” he says. “At the same time, this specialty is still a young and exciting field, with a steady stream of new developments.
“For me, PRC gave me the chance to join a clinic at the forefront of scientific advancements, with a highly complex and sophisticated laboratory. It’s a special distinction to work with Dr. Salem, who I consider to be one of the great scholars of reproductive biology.”
Shala A. Salem, MD
A graduate of the University of California-Los Angeles in psychobiology and neuroscience, Dr. Shala Salem earned an M.D. degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine before training in obstetrics and gynecology at New York’s Brooklyn Hospital Center. Four years later, she joined the Pacific Reproductive Center in 2009.
Dr. Shala believes that successful infertility treatment begins with the integration of body with mind. “We succeed best when we strive to help keep the whole person in balance.
“That requires not just good medicine but also a steady focus on nutrition, exercise, and emotional well-being. Maintaining the balance takes an active partnership between patient and doctor, whose first job is to be the best listener possible.”
An active community volunteer, Dr. Shala has served as a medical school mentor; a community educator and volunteer coordinator for the South Bay Free Clinic, in Manhattan Beach; and as a tutor to troubled youth.
Zhihong Yang, DVM MSc PhD
Executive Director, Laboratory Division
Dr. Yang studied reproductive physiology and biomedicine in the United States, Canada and China. He acquired his extensive training and clinical experience at Colorado State University, the University of Montreal and the University of Pittsburgh. After completion of his education and training, Dr. Yang has performed clinical work for over twenty years while conducting comprehensive research in reproductive physiology and assisted reproductive technologies.
Dr. Yang’s research interests include aneuploidy screening by Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH), a formulation of a vitrification medium (VM) with low toxicity and development of a chemically defined medium (CDM). His studies have been published in medical journals worldwide and he has presented his work at numerous medical conferences. Well respected in his field, Dr. Yang is also a reviewer for national and international medical journals and frequently presents at conferences for reproductive medicine.
As an inspector for the College of American Pathologists, he has performed CAP accreditation inspections on assisted reproductive laboratories including: andrology, embryology and immunology throughout the United States. Dr. Yang was a recipient of international academic awards from the International Transfer Society (IETS) and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). He is a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the American Association of Bioanalysts (AAB).
Prior to joining Pacific Reproductive Center in 2000, Dr. Yang was Director for ART Laboratories and a full–time faculty member at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. In addition, Dr. Yang has been actively involved in international academic exchange programs and has been invited to teach as a faculty member at various training programs including ESHRE campus courses.
“In his own words”
The greatest reward I have is participating in a science that allows families to have a healthy child. It is a privilege to be a part of such individual journeys and the happiest days are those when our families return with their healthy baby and I am able to share in their joy.
Sohila Zarandy, MD FACOG FACS
Sohila Zarandy, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., F.A.C.S. was born in Tehran, Iran and graduated from Tehran University Medical School. Dr. Zarandy did her postgraduate in surgery in England. She did her internship in Mercy Hospital and Medical Center of Chicago. She finished her residency at Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Zarandy did a year of fellowship in Perinatal Medicine in Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School and stayed on as Faculty (Clinical Instructor). She completed her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and infertility at the University of Illinois, in Chicago. Dr. Zarandy is a member of the several prestigious medical societies, including The American College of OB-GYN and The American College of Surgeons. She has given lectures around the country and has done several research projects.
Dr. Zarandy held the position of Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School for three years. She did her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at University of Illinois in Chicago, during which time she held the title of Assistant Professor. Dr. Zarandy was also an Assistant Professor of OB/GYN at Loyola University of Chicago. Her most recent position was at Case Western Reserve Medical School where she was Clinical Assistant Professor while she had her own private practice.
Dr. Zarandy is married to a Neuro-Radiologist and has three children, one of which is currently in medical school. Her sister and brother are also practicing physicians. Along with English, Dr. Zarandy also speaks fluent Farsi.
